Over-training
Even though exercise is almost a magical remedy for ill health, if you overdo it, you'll produce risks rather than rewards that affect both your mind and body.
As a general rule, if your exercise regimen makes you feel worse instead of better, you are overtraining. An overtrained individual often exhibits signs and symptoms that may be mistaken for disease or illness. Instead of increased vigor and energy, they experience fatigue and lethargy. Physical and mental performance suffers, they become more susceptible to viruses, and they feel irritable and depressed. Other symptoms include sleep disturbances, weight loss, higher resting heart rate, and loss of appetite. Interestingly, for someone who is already physically fit, overtraining can result in decreased fitness. On the other hand, pain or injury is a typical sign of overtraining for the sedentary person or the "average" athlete.
The overtraining syndrome occurs most often in highly conditioned athletes who spend more hours training in an effort to "get better," and enthusiasts who have taken their desire to "get fit" to an extreme. The sad part is that both the competitive athlete or the exercise zealot usually experience warning signs that overtraining is impending--but they "work right through the pain" believing they are "cleaning their body of toxins" or that a little more work will make the discomfort disappear.
To avoid overtraining, incorporate "off-days" into your workout routine. Fitness is about much more than burning calories or stored fat. When you work out hard, your body needs rest to repair muscle and other tissues. Consume sufficient calories from foods that are rich in nutrients and drink plenty of water. Remember, the goal of exercise is to improve your physical and mental well-being, not impair it.
All US Sports Online Strength and Conditioning Programs are structured with strategic "Easy Weeks" that are lower in volume and in some cases even weight to help keep the fibers active, but to avoid over stressing your body. Train the right way! Click on the banner below to start training today:
Nate
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